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Autopilot
Looks like an easy run today - the perfect time to trial Amelia's new Automated Operator System! Cast * Sam Yao * Nadia Al Hanaki Plot Is It Kylie? You’re testing out Amelia’s new Automated Operator System and it is a very strange experience. Secondary Communication Protocols Sam grudgingly leaves the comms shack and engages the offline operator for the lowest-risk section of your journey. Seventy. Nine. Hours. The first automated message kicks in and Nadia muses that if the operation could be scaled up, it would mean a lot more freedom. Figures In The Wheat Nadia reckons that automated operators are useful in unchartered terrain where cams monitoring may not be that useful, but a horde cuts her thoughts short. Enjoy The Sunset A zom grabs hold of a struggling Nadia as Sam’s prerecorded voice plays again, informing you that it’s time for a break; best not heed his words. Shut Up Real Sam returns and battles his erratic automated recording, causing general mayhem. Nadia fends off the last zoms, and Sam turns off the auto operator. Transcript AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: This is a test transmission. This is a test transmission. SAM YAO: I don’t sound like that! Do I really sound like that? NADIA AL HANAKI: Yes, Sam, you sound like that. In fact, talking to us now, you sound exactly like that. SAM YAO: But – well, that guy’s – well, I thought my voice was deeper, more authoritative. You know, “Raise the gates! Covering fire!” and – siren, gates raising Yeah, sorry, sorry! I – don’t actually raise the gates. Can you close them again? lowering Thank you, sorry! I was talking to Nadia! I was just – yeah. NADIA AL HANAKI: Who did you think you sounded like? Barry White? James Earl Jones? SAM YAO: Well, no, but maybe Patrick Stewart? Once, when I was hungover, I did a good Johnny Cash. Hey, there’s something we haven’t done! A joint Abel/New Canton karaoke night! NADIA AL HANAKI: And we’re not going to do that. SAM YAO: Oh, come on, Nadia! I bet you have a fan club among the New Canton runners. What’s your song? No, no, don’t tell me – Lady Gaga, “Born This Way”. NADIA AL HANAKI: I don’t have a song. SAM YAO: Of course you do! Wait, I bet it’s a real oldie. Marlene Dietrich. NADIA AL HANAKI: I don’t have a song! And if I did, it would not be Marlene Dietrich. SAM YAO: Annie Lennox? No, no, too introspective. Debbie Harry! No, too extroverted. NADIA AL HANAKI: Some operators believe in keeping their runners briefed, like, “Hey, Nadia and Runner Five, you’re a few hours away from one location marked on a map made by Darren’s bosses, the yellow jackets. We believe they obtained something there which they use to keep zombies away from their depot. We suspect the sight might contain a Comansys base. Also, we will shortly trial some interesting new technology to make this whole operator-runner relationship more efficient.” Why, thank you, Sam, for that important information. SAM YAO: Siouxsie Sioux. Nah, too much eyeliner. Kylie! Is it Kylie? SAM YAO: Shirley Manson? No, too aggressive. Tina Turner! It’s Tina Turner, isn’t it? NADIA AL HANAKI: Sam, if you promise to shut up, I will tell you why your voice sounds different on the recording. SAM YAO: Really? How do you know that? Tell me! NADIA AL HANAKI: I know, because I am a radio operator, and thus have learned such things. SAM YAO: Yeah, alright. Tell me. NADIA AL HANAKI: Not until you promise to shut up about karaoke. SAM YAO: Yeah, alright. I promise. NADIA AL HANAKI: Good. Okay. When you speak, your vocal cords not only produce sound, but also cause vibrations in your skull. When you hear yourself talk, you’re hearing the sound through your eardrums and your cochlea is also picking up the vibrations directly through your head. When you listen to the recording, the skull vibrations are not present. See? SAM YAO: So when I thought I had a deeper voice - NADIA AL HANAKI: You just had slower vibrations. Which can be fun on their own, say, if you put in ear plugs. SAM YAO: That was not what I thought you were going to say. NADIA AL HANAKI: You’ll never catch up, Abel. SAM YAO: Oh, I have to go. Amelia will be looking for me. Right, I’m going to engage the offline operator. Now, remember, it’s just a trial, and I’ll be back at some point to check how it’s going. This is a low-risk section of the journey, and we don’t anticipate any complications until you get near the base. Your GPS will constantly transmit your position. After you’ve run a certain distance, it’ll trigger the next audio briefing that I have prerecorded. Pretty ingenious, actually. We could make it into some sort of game. NADIA AL HANAKI: We’re ready, Sam. SAM YAO: I still don’t like leaving you. Watch yourselves, okay? NADIA AL HANAKI: Thank you, Sam. We can see about two miles in all directions. Empty fields, no zoms. We’ll be fine. SAM YAO: I, on the other hand, will be briefing new recruits on primary base procedures and secondary communication protocols. Maybe I should raise the gates after all. They’ll be running screaming from the building after five minutes. NADIA AL HANAKI: I know it sounds insane, but see it from the operator’s point of view. You and I are three days out of Abel, navigating on guesswork and a map obtained from a distinctly unreliable teenager with a penchant for inventing kittens to tempt Zoe over. There’s no visuals except the headcams we’re wearing, so the shack only gets two shaky cam feeds and bad signal from those. Sam can only see what we actually look at, and he loses all the benefits of 3D, peripheral vision, and environmental audio. Yes, he has maps, but so do we. What can he really add? So, on balance, I think - AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: Hello, runners! This is the offline operator. Well done! You’re making good time. Your GPS shows that you’re only seventy-nine hours away from Abel Township. We’re already heating the water for your shower. Look forward to seeing you! NADIA AL HANAKI: Yeah, well, of course, no matter how good the idea is, a lot of it comes down to execution. One operator per group doesn’t scale, but imagine everybody had access to an automated service directing them through safe zones with a human ready to cut in when necessary. It would bring back a little freedom, you know? Sometimes I sit in New Canton and stare at the wall - this prison we built to keep us safe – and I get a ridiculous urge to go to the beach and build sand castles, or walk up a hill to look at the view. But we can’t do these things, because they “serve no purpose for the base!” We can’t justify the operator’s time. I won a prize for building sand castles, once - AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: You are now approaching Nino’s Farm Supply Shop. Don’t bother looking for supplies, we’ve cleaned it out of everything useful. Except maybe sheep dip. It still has lots of sheep dip. NADIA AL HANAKI: Uh, that shop is way, way over on the other side of Abel, isn’t it? AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: Hello, runners! This is the offline operator. Well done! You’re making good time. NADIA AL HANAKI: If we turn around now, we could switch it off ourselves, in only seventy-nine hours. NADIA AL HANAKI: The thing about - AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: Up ahead, you’ll see a railway bridge across the road. This branch was closed in 1964. However, it still provides a workable path between Brighouse three miles to the north, and Leckwick, four miles to the south. Our most recent information suggests Brighouse is thick with zoms, but there may be human survivors in Leckwick. NADIA AL HANAKI: That was actually pretty useful. If I’m not mistaken, that really is a railway bridge just up ahead - AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: Hello, Nadia and Runner Five. Hopefully, you’ve just heard location information for the Brighouse-Leckwick rail branch. Your objective today is a forest about three miles ahead. Pass under the bridge and keep following this track. Our last survey suggests there’s not much here to attract zoms, but stay alert all the same. NADIA AL HANAKI: Ah? laughs I was going to say, the thing about being an operator is you can multitask. Even if Abel is running several missions at once, Sam should be able to handle it. Back in ATC on ground control, I got so I could work twelve planes in a two minute window. There were older guys there who could handle up to twenty. I mean, you can’t do without operators. On familiar terrain, they have an oversight that you just can’t get here on the ground. But on a mission like this, into an unfamiliar environment, they don’t really have anything to add. In fact, their suggestions can work against your instincts. Talking about instinct, look left. See that field? Is it just my imagination, or are there figures in the wheat? Moving figures? So much for seeing miles in every direction. groan NADIA AL HANAKI: Five, I can’t keep up your pace. Can you pull some off me? beeps No, don’t go up there. I saw more on the other side. We have to pull back, try to get around. AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: You’ve been running now for two hours. It’s time to take a break. growls, NADIA AL HANAKI shouts Look in your packs. Concealed under the flares, you’ll find a small package wrapped in greased? paper. NADIA AL HANAKI: It’s got my leg! It’s got my leg! AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: Yes! It’s one of Janine’s special chocolate brownies - NADIA AL HANAKI: Shoot it! Shoot it! AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: - made to her mother’s recipe. Well, with a bit less refined sugar, and a strange assortment of cocoa substitutes. But it tastes just as good! NADIA AL HANAKI: Chuck the chocolate brownie in its eye! AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: Nearly as good. We thought by now you’d need a little taste of home. So take a few deep breaths - NADIA AL HANAKI: Fire a flare at it! AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: - sit back, and enjoy the sunset! burns, zombie growls NADIA AL HANAKI: It didn’t touch me. I was snagged on a bush. A bush that’s now on fire! Five, we need to get out of here, now! NADIA AL HANAKI: coughs Where are they coming from? Can you see a – coughs Can you see a way through? SAM YAO: What the hell - ? NADIA AL HANAKI: Sam! Is that you? Get us out of here! SAM YAO: I’ve got a solid GPS fix. Turn around as slowly as you can bear, give me a 360 view with the headcam. Okay, you’re both facing northwest. Turn to your four o'clock, and run until you see a disused church. As you move, Nadia, scan to your right. Runner Five, scan left. Good. There are groups closing in from either side of you. Cut through the church grounds, and - AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: Hello, runners! This is the offline operator. SAM YAO: What? No, no! How do I turn this off? AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: Your GPS shows that you’re only seventy-nine hours - SAM YAO: No! on keyboard Through the back gate, and you’re only about thirty seconds from – AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: Well done! You’re making good time. SAM YAO: Ugh! types You’ll see a canal – follow it left until you see the lock gate. AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: At the next junction, turn right. SAM YAO: What?! No! Turn left, left! Don’t listen to him! types AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: Yes! It’s one of Janine’s special chocolate brownies! SAM YAO: Oh, shut up, shut up! NADIA AL HANAKI: I see the lock gate. SAM YAO: No, don’t try and open it, it’ll take too long. Just get across and find something to knock them off. NADIA AL HANAKI: There’s a live saver, one of those long poles. Five, can you reach it? SAM YAO: Perfect! NADIA AL HANAKI: Die, die! Or at least… sink, sink! splatter, splash into canal SAM YAO: Is that - ? NADIA AL HANAKI: I think we got them all. Now, Sam? SAM YAO: Yes? NADIA AL HANAKI: Thank you. That was very impressive. SAM YAO: You are entirely welcome. Now, I’m going to turn this stupid thing off permanently. I think this ought to do it. types AUTOMATED OPERATOR SYSTEM: Thanks for participating in this trial of the offline operator! Please remember to fill out the feedback form provided in your - SAM YAO: Aw, shut up. sizzles Codex Artefact Ministry of Recovery Note 22 Ministry of Recovery Bulletin 22 Law and order continues to be reasserted. This week several arrest warrants have been issued for well-grounded claims of severe criminal activity during the current crisis. The Ministry has no interest in pursuing looters or those who barricaded themselves inside their homes and ignored the cries of other survivors in a desperate attempt to preserve their own lives. Your government understands the nature of the extreme circumstances we all continue to face. But if we are to rebuild, we must reinstate the rule of law. We are therefore prioritising well-attested accusations of multiple murder, rape and other severe crimes. Category:Mission Category:Season Three